116 123 – Who Runs It, What It Costs & Is It Safe?

Short code: 116 123
Type: Short dial code
Operated by: Samaritans (registered charity)
Cost: Free
Category: Emergency and public services
Verified: 13 August 2026

What 116 123 is for

116 123 is part of the Europe-wide 116 range reserved for services of social value, which is why it is free and why no commercial service can hold it.

Samaritans listen about anything that is troubling you, for as long as you need, without judgement and without telling you what to do.

If you would rather text than talk, Shout on 85258 is free too.

What it costs

Free. Free to call from any UK phone, and the call does not appear on your phone bill.

Call 116 123 — how it works

Dial 116 123 free from any UK phone, at any time.
If life is at immediate risk, call 999.

Is 116 123 safe, and is it spoofed?

A short code cannot be spoofed in the way an ordinary phone number can, because you are the one starting the conversation. The risk runs the other way: fraudsters send texts that claim to be from a service like this one and ask you to reply or tap a link.

If a text or call is trying to rush you, threaten you, or get a password, one-time code or payment out of you, it is a scam whatever number it shows. Read our guide to the UK number ranges scammers use and how to spot a smishing text, and forward anything suspicious free to 7726.

Where this came from

We do not guess short codes. Every entry in this directory was checked against the organisation that runs the code, or against gov.uk or the regulator:

Checked against these sources on 13 August 2026. Short codes and their charges do change — if the operator’s page now says something different, believe the operator.

Checking an ordinary number instead

Short codes are not in Ofcom’s numbering data — only full UK numbers are. If it is a normal 01, 02, 03, 07, 08 or 09 number you want to identify, put it into the phone number checker and you will get its type, its area and the provider Ofcom allocated the range to.

Other UK short codes

999 · Emergency services (and emergencySMS by text)101 · Police non-emergency 105 · Power cut helpline 111 · NHS urgent medical help 18000 · Relay UK – emergency calls 18001 · Relay UK – make a relayed call

All verified UK short codes › · UK area codes › · UK network operators ›

116 123 — frequently asked questions

Is 116 123 free?

Free. Free to call from any UK phone, and the call does not appear on your phone bill.

Who runs 116 123?

Samaritans (registered charity). 116 123 reaches Samaritans, free, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. We verified this against the operator's own published information on 13 August 2026; the sources are linked on this page.

Is 116 123 a scam number?

No. A short code cannot be spoofed in the way an ordinary phone number can, because you are the one starting the conversation. The risk runs the other way: fraudsters send texts that claim to be from a service like this one and ask you to reply or tap a link.

I got a text from a short code I do not recognise – what should I do?

Do not tap any link in it and do not reply unless you are certain who the sender is. If it is marketing from a company you know, replying STOP to the short code shown in the message opts you out free. If it is unsolicited, forward it to 7726 free of charge and delete it - replying to an unknown sender only confirms your number is live.

116 123 — Samaritans